Voodoo Queens of New Orleans - Vol. II | In Progress

Chapter Nineteen: Freedom, For A Price...

LISA

There was some sort of ceremony that night, but at the time, I didn't know who or what it was for.

The women in my group were attending, which meant that I was attending. Our boat navigated the waters to take us to the clearing where the ceremony would be held come nightfall. Ironically, it was the same spot where Sajida held my lave tet sometime before then. I cringed at the thought; the trust I had in her.

But I kept it to myself. Didn't even show the emotion on my face when the ceremonial circle was brought to my attention.

In addition to the women and me, there were more people surrounding the circle, which had a big fire in the center, the flames wisping ominously behind the stone-like pillars that dominated the outer perimeter. I didn't know these people, and I didn't care to. All I cared about was my aunt, who was nowhere to be found. Yewande was there, though--the one who ran the bathhouse, and the one who gave me the travel token earlier that day; I felt its indention in the crease of my bandana.

The sky's shift in color, from lavender to indigo, made the fire even more threatening. Soon, darkness encompassed the circle, and with it, the pounding of the ceremonial drums grew louder. Voices sang with more reverence. The dancing became more erratic. It seemed that, despite the state of the situation for the prisoners here, they found freedom and solace in this ceremony.

Suddenly, I was hit with something firm and warm.

"Eat!" An old, frail woman said to me, holding forward a bowl filled with rice and cooked vegetables. Some bread, too. I took it from her and managed to steady myself through the crowd, without disturbing any of the witches of Sajida's doing, to find a spot by a tree further away; a prospecting position. I could see the fire and the people dancing and the flurries of white clothing. I could see the prisoners' eyes--bright, yet incomplete. It was the one thing that brought us together, sadly. I sat and began to dig into my meal with the stale bread given as a funnel; no spoons or forks.

"Hey."

Saadia gently stepped over leaves and twigs to come sit next to me. I nod politely, watching her as she sits down.

We eat in silence for a while. The dancing continues; there's an altar being constructed of bones and skulls in the center.

"It's okay, here," Saadia said to me. "We can talk freely here."

"Really?" I whispered, still cautious not to appear suspicious. "How do you know?"

Saadia gestures down to the Priestesses--the ones who run this place alongside Sajida. They were in some hypnotic trance as they were dancing. Everyone else was looking at them with odd, confused looks, but nobody said anything.

"They're somewhere else during ceremonies, completely oblivious to what we're even saying and doing. I figured this out when I first got here; I've been able to have great conversations during ceremonies."

I wondered what she meant by the word "great" - was she the "hero" in this situation? The renegade? The one planning a coup to save everyone?

I saw a few women ahead use this time to trade travel tokens for herbs and botanicals. The looks on their faces were painfully calm as if this was normal; a new normal, now.

"Let me guess. You use these opportunities to stir up mutiny?"

Saadia chuckles. "No."

"And why is that?"

"Because every time I would talk to someone about that, they'd go and get themselves killed."

I had no words. Saadia continued eating like the words never left her mouth, ripping apart the bread ravenously.